PGA honors Oceanside golfer

OCEANSIDE — Chris Starkjohann of Oceanside was named Senior PGA Professional Player of the Year.
Starkjohann, 53, a PGA teaching professional at Torrey Pines Gold Club and Outings in Oceanside, becomes the first player to win three Senior PGA Professional Player of the Year awards. He won previous awards in 2006 and 20007.
“I am incredibly honored to have earned this award; it was a longtime goal of mine,” said Schuller. “I look at all of the quality players who preceded me in having their name on this award, and I am happy that I at least left my mark. I am happy that the PGA keeps the events going to work for this award. It serves as an inspiration for younger players to aspire to and showcase their playing skills in addition to being the leaders in the business of golf and all the many other hats we wear.”
Starkjohann’s drive toward a third Senior PGA Professional Player of the Year award was boosted by a fifth-place finish in the 70th Senior PGA Championship last May — the best showing by a PGA club professional in the game’s most prestigious senior major since Tom Wargo won the 1993 title.
Starkjohann finished with 1,234.5 overall points, which included 250 points for finishing Southern California PGA Senior Player of the Year; an additional 202.5 points for tying for 16th in the PGA Professional National Championship. He also earned 130 points for tying for eighth in the Senior PGA Professional National Championship, and garnered 239 points for competing in six Champions Tour events, including the Senior British Open.